Green Paige

My new mantra is:

When life throws lemons at you, make lemon drop martinis.

Actually, my mantra should be:

When life floods your kitchen, livingroom and basement with several gallons of hot water destroying your floors, walls and cupboards, remodel green.

 

Yes, last week we awoke at 6:00am to find our walls and windows dripping with steam.  When we rushed into our kitchen, we found it transformed into a hot tub complete with a floating bamboo fruit bowl.  After the initial shock, we decided to make a bad situation a good opportunity for a eco-friendly remodel.  Here is our plan for creating a healthy, environmentally-friendly kitchen on a limited budget:

• Salvage and Reuse - Save money and keep items that have plenty of use out of the local landfill by salvaging.  We updated our kitchen last summer with a new sink, faucet, countertops, cupboard hardware, stove and Energy Star  refrigerator.  Our goal is to reuse as many of these items as we can. 
• Recycle - Before making plans to remodel, devise a plan for disposing of the materials that cannot be salvaged for your own project. Locate an architectural salvage and deconstruction company that will gently remove items that have the potential of being used again somewhere else.  You can also donate items to organizations like Habitat for Humanity.  We checked with both our city and county government web pages and found several listings for local recycling outlets.  
• Consider Your Health - In an eco remodel, your top priority should be your health.  We found that we had asbestos in both our floors and walls.  In order to make this project and our home safe and healthy, we have called in a professional asbestos abatement team to remove the items and dispose of them properly.
• Upgrade - Replace damaged items with good quality, energy-efficient appliances.  Since our faulty faucet caused the flood, we will replace our faucet with a better quality model that will help us save water.  We are also installing a Water Cop automatic water shut-off system to help prevent future water damage.  Most insurance companies will offer a discount for early-warning systems like this as well as energy-efficient appliances like our tankless water heater by Rinnai.  In our case, it worked so well it flooded our house with hot water.
• Plan For The Future - Look at the big picture when you are planning your new kitchen.  Our old, 1970’s kitchen was cozy but it wasn’t very energy-efficient and it certainly didn’t meet the needs of our growing family.  I found it difficult to cook in, dark and lacking in storage.  In planning our new kitchen, we are taking all these things into consideration as well as thinking about the future of our family and this space.  
• Do Your Research - A good eco kitchen should be able to accomodate the ever-changing needs of a family.  Some resources to help you with your own remodeling plans are: “Good Green Kitchens” and “Good Green Homes” by Jennifer Roberts.  Both books are packed with great information from asbestos hazards to remodeling a 1970’s house to keeping on budget.  One of my favorite books is Sarah Susanka’s “The Not So Big House.”  She says, “The kitchen is the heart of the house, and the Not So Big House should have a big heart.  If we acknowledge that the kitchen is where we want to be, then we should make the kitchen accessible and open to all the living areas of the house.”  I love this quote and I love this idea.  I have also found Natural Home and Garden and Mother Earth News magazines to have some fantastic articles comparing Earth-friendly flooring materials and cabinet options.

If you have ideas or resources you can recommend to us as we work through this remodeling project, please comment.  We welcome all ideas.  Here’s to making lemon drop martinis from lemons and a great green space from an inefficient 1970’s kitchen.

What exactly is eco-style?  Susie Matson, professional organizer and owner of Savvy Spaces, defines eco-style as natural, affordable and realistic.

   

For me, the basis of eco-style is redesign-using a combination of natural elements with items that you already have to make your home more beautiful, comfortable and functional.

In this era of green washing and high-end design, we have come to expect a high price tag attached to anything associated with the terms green, sustainable or ecological.  “Not so,” claims Susie.  Even though she doesn’t market herself as an eco-organizer, Susie has always had a passion for reusing and repurposing.

   

When my husband and I first started dating, I didn’t tell him that I did most of my shopping at thrift stores and flea markets.  One day, I had my head down in a bin at the Salvation Army when I looked up and spotted him on the other side of the store sorting through his own pile of stuff.  Our eyes met and we both realized that we had met our match.

When redesigning your home, Susie recommends starting with one room at a time.

   

When I am decorating a room, I like to take time to sit in that space, be still, clear my mind and feel the energy of the room.  It helps me define what’s missing and what needs editing.

Ask yourself if it’s too dark or too heavy on one side?  Are there too many plants or not enough plants?  Does the room get enough light? What is the purpose of this room going to be?  Susie believes that these questions will help give you direction.

I feel that your home should restore, rejuvenate and energize you.  When you walk in the door, you should feel that it’s good to be here. 

Susie’s eight quick tips for redesigning your home with eco-style:

1. Get Inspired - Find an inspiration item that will help you visualize a theme for your redesign.  Susie suggests choosing something that will work well with the purpose of the room.  For example, a vintage postcard from Hawaii could be the inspiration for a bathroom redesign.
2. Shop Your Home - Most of us tend to scatter the things we love throughout our living space.  By shopping our home and gathering together items that would work well with our theme, we can actually create a fresh look for that space.  Susie recommends choosing items based on texture and color.
3. Repurpose - Visualize Aunt Martha’s old, blue suitcase as a table top for a nightstand.  Don’t be afraid to break the rules and use a bedroom dresser as a buffet table or mix things up a bit by displaying antique gardening tools in the kitchen. By using things that you have collected throughout the years, you make a statement about you and your family.
4. Find Your Soul Color - Susie advises decorating a room with colors that restore you.  “I have this theory that we all have our own soul color.  I tend to love Earth tones but the color that restores me is green,” says Susie.  She suggests using furniture or carpet with neutral colors.  You can always change out pillows or art work to give your room punch.
5. Stylize - Decorate your home in ways that really suit you, that speak to you. “When you come in to my house, although I love rocks, you won’t find a granite countertop anywhere,” admits Susie.  ”It’s not my style.  That’s not to say they’re not stylish but it’s not what my style is really about.”  If you need help defining your style, visit HGTV  and search for style quiz.
6. Keep It Natural - Susie suggests using natural elements like wood, stone and shells to create your eco-style.  “I try to keep plastics and appliances put away because they make a room feel cold.”  Natural decorations bring the outdoors in and make you feel close to the Earth.  “I have this bowl in my living room that I change out all year long.  I put sand in it with seashells, pinecones, Christmas balls, or seed pods.  It’s an interactive accessory.”
7. Trade - Exchange things with other people.  Susie explains, “I have friends that I am so close to that we know each other’s styles.  If I have something they could use in their home redesign, I happily give it to them knowing that it will be loved and reused.” 
8. Reuse - When you do buy things for your home, buy used.  Buy things that speak to you and your own personal style.  Don’t buy what’s trendy and decorate for trend appeal.  Trends are short lived and don’t perpetuate reuse.

As a professional organizer and amateur treasure hunter, Susie Matson has spent her life saving money and the environment.

I know some people think that they can’t afford to live a more sustainable, environmentally friendly lifestyle because green products and services are just too expensive.  That tells me that they are working with the wrong definition of green.

For more redesigning tips, contact Susie Matson of Savvy Spaces.

I don’t have the time to make my own cleaning products!  That was always my argument.  After all, it’s easier to pick up a package of sparkling blue tablets that will shine my toilet so brilliantly I will be able to see my face reflected in the bowl. Who doesn’t want house cleaning to be less time consuming?  What we don’t want is to sacrifice our family’s health and safety to do it.

If you read the labels of your favorite cleaning products as I did, you will discover that some of these brightly packaged solvents are manufactured using petroleum products, phosphates/EDTA and chlorine bleach which are harmful to the environment.  They can also contain phthalates that have been linked to cancer and disease of the reproductive system. Cleansers with antibacterials such as triclosan and benzalkonium chloride can contribute to an increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria, resulting in illnesses that are more difficult to treat. What can we do?

Make our own cleaning products.  Here’s how:

1. Cleaning Caddy -  Begin with a wire cleaning caddy or make one out of a basket or a box.  Fill it with your cleaning essentials including an all-purpose cleaner, soft scrub cleanser, window wash, furniture polish, a multi-purpose scrub brush, natural cellulose sponges, a turkey feather duster and cotton cleaning rags.
2. All-Purpose Cleaner - The first item you will need to add to your caddy is an all-purpose cleaner.  There are numerous recipes out there for natural all-purpose cleaners but my favorite features grapefruit seed extract which is a natural disinfectant.  Start with a 32-oz. spray bottle.  Fill it three-quarters full of water and add two tablespoons of a natural dish soap like Seventh Generation.  Mix 20 drops of grapefruit seed extract into the solution with 5-10 drops of lemon juice.  This cleaner is safe to use on every surface including walls and floors.
3. Soft Scrub Cleanser - Next, you will need a soft scrub cleanser for soap scum in tubs and stains on counter tops.  Mix 1/4 cup baking soda with a small amount of natural liquid soap until it forms the consistency of frosting.  Store in a bottle or make it fresh whenever you need it.
4. Disinfectant - For those diaper pail, garbage can and litter box jobs where only a disinfectant will do, use Tea Tree oil.  It has natural antibacterial properties.  To one gallon of hot water, mix ½ cup of Borax and a couple of drops of Tea Tree oil.  Let the concoction steep for 10 minutes and then pour into a spray bottle.
5. Window Wash - For a simple but effective window wash solution, use the same recipe our grandmothers have sworn by for years.  With 2 cups of warm water, combine 3 tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon of a natural liquid soap. Wash windows with a soft, cotton rag.
6. Furniture Polish - No cleaning caddy would be complete without wood furniture polish.  Mix 1/4 cup of olive oil with 1/8 cup of lemon juice.  Mix together and apply to wood furniture in a thin coat.  Rub well with a soft, cotton cloth.

 Green Cleaning Tips:

• Use mops with a washable mop head cover and vacuum cleaners with HEPA filters. 
• Avoid disposable cleaning products.
• Don’t forget to recycle and properly dispose of harmful cleaning chemicals.

Still not convinced to make your own cleaning products?  Contact a green cleaning company like All Star Cleaning Services. They offer pre-mixed kits, instruction and monthly refill programs.  To locate a eco-friendly cleaning company near you, visit Green America’s National Green Pages.

I just become an aunt  - for the first time.  My daughter is thrilled to have a new baby cousin and the rest of us are excited to have baby Adam in our lives.

When you learn that a new baby is on the way, there are so many things to do and think about.  Setting up a nursery might be far down on your priority list but creating a healthy, natural environment for your child to thrive in could be the most important thing you do.  Here are five tips to help you get started.

• Tip 1: Pick low VOC paints.  If your nursery is a blank palette, decorate it with paints that have no or low VOCs - volatile organic compounds.  Solvents that most conventional paint manufacturers use to improve resilience and make their paints more functional are VOCs.  These compounds produce a breathable gas that diminishes air quality and can be hazardous to your baby’s health.  Ask for paint that has a VOC content of less than 50 grams per liter for flat sheen or 150 grams per liter for non-flat sheen.  For our youngest daughter’s nursery, we are using Freshaire Choice.  Read my post Good Paint Hunting for non-VOC paint comparisons and a review of Freshaire Choice.

• Step 2: Choose healthy flooring.  Your baby might be a tiny, cooing bundle of love right now but in the time it takes to blink an eye, your little Speed Racer will be zooming around the nursery on chubby hands and knees.  Make his or her launching pad a healthy one.  The Healthy Flooring Network recommends natural linoleum, cork, sustainably forested hardwood or bamboo flooring that is treated with non-toxic sealers.  Carpets made with recycled materials or natural fibers like wool, cotton, sisal, sea grass, jute or hemp are a better choice than synthetic carpets that can off-gas a VOC called 4-phenylcyclohexene (4-PCH), a byproduct of a latex binder used to secure tufted fibers to carpet backing.  VOCs are released over time and can continue long after that new carpet smell has faded. For more information, visit the Healthy Flooring Network and The Carpet and Rug Institute’s  indoor air quality testing program. 

• Step 3: Select solid wood furnishings.  Pass by the canopied cribs with the mega-mobiles and the reclining rockers with heated seats and cup holders.  Choose furniture that is simple, natural and solid.  Most cribs on the market are made with engineered wood which is manufactured by binding together the strands, particles, fibers or veeners of wood with formaldehyde adhesives to form composite materials.  These adhesives that are holding your baby’s crib together can off-gas formaldehyde.  When shopping for a crib or other furniture for your nursery, choose solid, sustainably harvested wood that has a natural oil or wax finish.  Furnish your crib with an organic cotton or wool mattress and bedding that is free from petroleum derived chemicals used in fire and stain retardants.  Visit the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission website for crib safety guidelines.  For organic bedding options, check out  The Natural Sleep Store or let your mouse do the walking through Co-Op America’s National Green Pages. 

• Step 4: Research your diaper choices.  The debate between cloth diapers and disposables has raged since 1947 when Valerie Hunter Gordon developed the first two piece disposable diaper in England.  Now days, parents have a third option to the diaper dilemma, g-Diapers.  These hybrid diapers have a cotton diaper wrap on the outside, snap-in liners made of polyurethane coated nylon and a flushable insert created from soft, fluffed wood pulp that comes from sustainably managed forests.  To absorb wetness, they use a poly-acrylate gel in their inserts which the people at gdiaper.com claim has been proven safe in over 400 studies.  It is the same substance that the FDA removed from tampons in the mid-1980s because of its link to toxic shock syndrome.  Whether you choose to stock your nursery with g-Diapers; cotton, hemp or unbleached paper diapers or go diaper free; do your research and make the healthiest choice for your baby.  For more cloth diaper info, visit  The Real Diaper Association.  For diaper comparisons and reviews, check out TreeHugger and type in diapers. 

• Step 5: Buy BPA-free bottles.  The best choice for nursing your baby is breast feeding.  If that is not an option, choose to supply your nursery with BPA-free baby bottles.  Until recently, almost all plastic baby bottles on the market were produced from #7 polycarbonate which is made with bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical invented in the 1930s as a synthetic estrogen.  BPA is a hormone disruptor which simulates the action of estrogen when tested in human breast cancer studies and can leach into food as the product ages.  Whole Foods Market claims that they are staying on top of the latest academic research regarding substances like BPA.  In January of 2006, they stopped selling baby bottles and sippy cups made from polycarbonate plastic because of the emerging scientific evidence on their risk.  They now carry Born Free brand bottles that are free from BPA.  Glass bottles are also making a comeback with the addition of non-toxic nipples and a silicone sheath that slips over the bottle to help prevent breakage.  For a product report on baby bottles, visit The Green Guide or search NatureMom’s Blog for BPA-free and glass baby bottle reviews from parents.  

For more ideas on how to create a healthy and natural nursery for your baby, visit The Green Home Guide  and search for nursery.    

It’s summer.  For many people that means bar-b-quing, organic gardening, long bike rides to the park and splashing at the pool.  For us, it means DYI projects. 

We are continually searching for ways to make our 1970s-era house a greener, more inviting place to live.  Currently, that means remodeling our living-room to add storage space and more light.  After experimenting with various shades of orange and red including Hawaiian Sunset and Red Hot Lover, we decided to paint our living-room a combination of Summer Dragonfly and Midwest Spring - otherwise known as blue.  Yes, there really is a paint shade called Midwest Spring.  Who knew humidity had a shade. 

Now, you would think that deciding on a color to paint our living-room would be the biggest obstacle we would have to overcome in this DIY project.  It wasn’t.  Our biggest obstacle turned out to be where to find paint that didn’t produce toxic gases - VOCs. 

• VOCs - To the uninitiated DIYers who haven’t heard of VOCs, here is a quick summary.  VOCs or volatile organic compounds are solvents that most conventional paint manufacturers use to improve resilience and make their paints more functional.  These compounds produce a breathable gas that diminishes air quality and can be hazardous to your health.  Lucky for us, there are paint manufacturers out there that have developed VOC-free paints.  How do you determine VOC levels in paint?  VOC levels are expressed in pounds per gallon or grams per liter.   If your interior paint has a VOC content of less than 50 grams per liter for flat sheen or 150 grams per liter for non-flat sheen than it qualifies as a low-VOC product and earns a Green Seal of approval.

• Green Seal - What exactly is a Green Seal of approval?  Green Seal, Inc. out of Washington D.C. is an independent, non-profit organization that was founded in 1989 to provide science-based environmental certification standards for products and services.  Their goal is to inform manufacturers and purchasers so that they can make responsible choices that will ultimately achieve a healthier and cleaner environment.  They recognize products and services that cause less pollution and waste, conserve resources and habitats and minimize global warming and ozone depletion.  Green Seal began issuing their seal of approval to products that meet approved standards for performance and environmental impacts in 1992.

• GreenGuard -What is the difference between Green Seal and GreenGuard?  You be the judge. Founded in June of 2001, the GreenGuard Environmental Institute (GEI) is an industry-independent, non-profit organization that oversees the GreenGuard Certification Program.  By establishing acceptable indoor air standards for indoor products, environments and buildings, GEI seeks to improve public health and quality of life.  They have an advisory board that consists of independent experts in the areas of indoor air quality, public and environmental health, building design and construction, and public policy.  The GreenGuard test laboratories are widely considered to have some of the most stringent standards of testing in the country.

The Hunt For Non-Voc Paints 

Where do you find these VOC free paints?  Our first thought was to call our local home improvement stores and paint distributors.  When I asked if they carried VOC-free paints, the clerk who answered the phone at the first store I called acted as if he had just received a call from outer-space.  “You want what?” he asked in an irritated and mildly astonished voice that was most likely accompanied by a roll of the eyes and a shake of the head.  After I launched into my brief summary of VOCs and why we don’t want toxic fumes permeating our living-room, he sounded a bit friendlier and thought we might be able to order it but he wasn’t sure.  I called two more  stores in the vicinity that assured me that there was no such thing as a VOC free paint once you added tinting.  I soon realized that I was wasting precious resources - time and patience.  I switched from the phone to my computer and starting doing my research via the Internet. 

My first stop was at The Green Guide where I found a  list of recommended paints including: 

BioShield 

EcoSpec Paint

Old Fashioned Milk Paint

Real Milk Paint

AFM Safecoat Paint

Kelly-Moore Envirocote

Dulux Paints

Glidden Lifemaster paints

Sherwin-Williams HealthSpec® paints

The winner was………..The Freshaire Choice

We based our decision on our own four-point “green scale” rating system:

1. How environmentally friendly is this product?
2. How far do you have to go to purchase it?  (I.e., how much fossil fuel would you have to use?)
3. How expensive is it?
4. How many color options do you have?

Milk paint and Safecoat received three out of four stars because they were completely VOC free but they were both relatively expensive too.  We found that we could order the milk paint through the mail for additional shipping costs which beat the 50 mile drive to pick up a gallon of Safecoat paint at our nearest distributor.  Still, we opted for The Freshaire Choice.   Why?  Even though the price, at $35-38 a gallon, was high and the color selection limited to muted Earth tones, we chose The Freshaire Choice  for the following reasons:

1. Being available through Home Depot made it the easiest to obtain.  Living within biking distance of a distributor meant we weren’t wasting fuel driving 50 miles to a dealership or having the paint shipped to us from another city or state.   
2. We felt that it was the most environmentally friendly product that we reviewed.  Besides being VOC free, The Freshaire Choice  container is made from  100% recycled materials and can be recycled again when you are finished.  The product’s label is made from 75% recycled fiber and printed with soy ink.  The paint chips are also completely recyclable as well as being made from recycled materials.
3. It had great word-of-mouth reviews by friends and family members and is GreenGuard certified meaning that The Freshaire Choice meets acceptable indoor air quality guidelines and standards shared by those of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Review:  The real test of this product was how it did in our at-home laboratory.  Both my husband and I agree that there was no smell associated with this product.  I had heard that The Freshaire Choice can have a Play Dough-like aroma but that wasn’t our experience with the primer or the two shades of blue that we used.  Our one complaint was that the paint consistency seemed a bit thin.  The final verdict:  we like this product and will probably use it again.

What are the most important changes we need to make to our house to make it more energy efficient and sustainable?  Where do we begin?  That’s what we had been asking ourselves until we discovered the  Green Guide’s Eco IQ Quizes.

Questions like Do you have recycling bins in your house? or Have you replaced at least one incandescent bulb in your house with a compact fluorescent light bulb?  might not seem like they can set you on the path to total home greenovation but as the Green Guide quiz explains, it can make a big difference.

What kinds of things did our family learn from our own eco I.Q. quiz? 

• Water - We learned that tap water meets stricter federal and local standards for chemical contaminants than bottled water does.  We also found that by installing aerators on all of our water faucets we could cut our water usage from 5 gallons per minute to 2.75 gallons or less - the most efficient models use only 1 gallon.
• Air - By sealing air leaks, we could reduce our energy bill by 10 percent and cut our carbon footprint by 865 pounds per year.
• Heat -Surprisingly, we discovered that our microwave uses 85 percent less energy than our conventional cooktop and almost a third of the energy used by our toaster oven.

Another great web-based resource to help launch you on the home improvement path to a more energy efficient home is the  The Home Energy Saver .  This do-it-yourself energy audit was developed by the Environmental Energy Technologies Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.  The audit helped us determine what we could do to make our home more energy efficient.

• Results - Out of the 17 recommendations made, we had already completed 11 which included:

1. Replacing our 1980s electric stove with a ceramic top range, our vintage refrigerator with an Energy Star, freezer-on-top model and recycling our old freezer which has saved us over $100 in energy costs so far this year (3 months.) 
2. Upgrading our washer and dryer with Energy Star front loading models for a savings of $110 in energy costs and 22 gallons of water per load.
3. Installing a programmable thermostat and setting it to 63 degrees saving us $170 last winter.
4. Replacing our old tank water heater with a tankless water-on-demand water heater set at 120 degrees saving us $112 a year in energy costs. 
5. Switching our incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs.
6. Replacing floors and adding insulation.
7. Being lucky to have purchased a house where the owners had already updated the old gas furnace with an energy efficient forced-air gas furnace, replaced the single-paned windows with doubled paned glass, maintained the whole-house fan and installed a new roof.

• Audit Recommendations: 

1. Replace our inefficient, 1990s dish washer.
2. Seal our ducts to prevent air leaks.
3. Increase insulation in our walls.
4. Replace the insulation in our attic.
5. Insulate our duct work.
6. Seal air leaks in our house including our unused fireplace.

Suggestions, ideas, recommendations?  Post a comment and let me hear from you.

Our family recently came to a decision. 

Our 1970’s house, which we love, isn’t working for our growing family.  It seems to be shrinking, aging and falling apart before our eyes.  For the past three years, we have been repairing, replacing and remodeling it here and there with the dream that soon we would sell it and move into a green-built home with more space, radiant heat floors and recycled glass counter tops. 

Then my daughter asked the inevitable question, “Why?”  Why, indeed.  That simple question made us realize that no ecobroker in the world could help us find a greener home with as much love, sweat and memories as we have imbued this one with. 

Is it more environmentally friendly to buy a green-built home than to remodel using green materials?  I am afraid that experts in the field seem to differ on their conclusions.  For us, we have decided to stay and continue to repair, replace and remodel using green materials. 

To document our family’s efforts to make our home a more sustainable place to live, I am launching a new section of this blog called The Green House Chronicles or GHC.

In the meantime, we are doing a bit of research to help us plan future “green house” projects.   Here are some books and websites that we recommend:

• “The Not So Big House” by Sarah Susanka - This book sends a simple but vital message  - quality should come before quantity. My favorite chapter is Rethinking The House pg. 28 where she proposes the concept of rethinking our houses to let them become expressions of the way we really live. 
• “Good Green Homes” by Jennifer Roberts - The author says that “Good Green Homes” is for people who believe in the power of one person - or one home - to make a world of difference.  With resource information and green home profiles, this book can help us repurpose our home into a beautiful, livable, more environmentally space that makes a difference.
• GreenandSave.com - This informative site full of product reviews and money saving tips is the result of over three years of research by Charlies and Cynthia Szoradi who transformed their inefficient 1950’s house into a ground breaking eco-sustainable home. 
• ReGreenProgram.com - What makes the Regreen Program different from the LEED green building certification?  Regreen is a set of guidelines designed to help consumers and green building professionals evaluate green products and energy systems.  You can download their guidelines and 10 case studies that document various in-home remodeling projects at ReGreenProgram.com .

Have some resources that you would like to share?  Please leave a comment.